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Eleven days across southwest China: Yunnan’s old towns and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Guizhou’s Huangguoshu Waterfall and the mountain city of Chongqing.
This eleven-day trip links three provinces of southwest China by high-speed train. In Yunnan you see Dali’s Bai towns, Shaxi on the Ancient Tea Horse Road and Lijiang Old Town, ride the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain cable car, watch Impression Lijiang and dine at the Lijiang Royal Banquet, before a day in Kunming.
In Guizhou you visit Huangguoshu Waterfall and Qingyan Ancient Town and try Bouyi hand-grasped rice. The trip ends in Chongqing with Ciqikou, Hongyadong, the Liziba light rail, giant pandas at the zoo and a hillside hotpot dinner. Hotels include Wyndham and Four Points by Sheraton properties, or similar.
Group tour. You travel with other guests on a fixed departure — departures every Sunday in 2027. Prefer your own dates and a guide just for your party? The private version of this tour runs every day.
How the price works: CAD $2,288–2,500 depending on the season per person sharing a twin or double room (land only — flights to Kunming and home from Chongqing are not included). Gratuities for your guide and driver, CAD $220 per person (CAD $20 a day), are added at checkout; the estimate on this page already includes them. The single supplement is CAD $663–863 by season.
Welcome to Kunming, the “Spring City” and capital of Yunnan. You are met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is free.
Take the high-speed train (second class) from Kunming to Dali. Your first stop is a Santorini-themed café for afternoon tea, a popular photo spot with blue-and-white buildings by the water.
Continue to Xizhou Ancient Town, known for its well-preserved Bai houses, red walls, turrets and open farmland. Later you walk the crisscrossing old streets of Dali Ancient Town, set between Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake, and finish on Foreigners’ Street, lined with small boutiques and shops.
Drive to Shaxi Ancient Town, a well-preserved stop on the Ancient Tea Horse Road, with Sideng Street, its old opera stage and Yujin Bridge.
Continue to Lijiang and visit Black Dragon Pond Park, where the clear pool frames a view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Then explore Lijiang Ancient Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of Naxi canals, small bridges and lanes, and its busy central square, Sifang Street.
Ride the cable car up and down Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the snow-capped peak that dominates Lijiang. At its foot you watch Impression Lijiang, an open-air show staged against the mountain that presents Naxi folk culture.
Take the electric shuttle through Blue Moon Valley, with its blue water and stepped travertine terraces, then visit Yushuizhai, a sacred site of Naxi Dongba culture. Dinner is the Lijiang Royal Banquet (regular seat): Naxi hot pot served with palace-style and Naxi song and dance, recreating the banquets of the Mu chieftains.
Take the high-speed train (second class) from Lijiang back to Kunming.
Visit Daguan Pavilion beside Dianchi Lake, famous for its long classical couplet, then walk Kunming Old Street, where Ming- and Qing-dynasty buildings house long-established local brands and snack stalls. See the Golden Horse and Jade Rooster Archway, the city’s landmark gateway, and end on Nanping Pedestrian Street, Kunming’s main commercial street.
After breakfast, take the high-speed train (second class) from Kunming to Guiyang, capital of Guizhou. You are met at the station and transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is free.
Visit Huangguoshu Waterfall (shuttle bus and one-way escalator included), together with Potang Waterfall and the Tianxingqiao Scenic Area, walking through karst gorges past waterfalls and stone formations.
Dinner is Bouyi hand-grasped rice: five-colour glutinous rice dyed with natural plants, served with farm-style stir-fries on traditional bamboo trays and eaten by hand in the Bouyi way.
Explore Qingyan Ancient Town (battery car included) and Huaxi Wetland Park (battery car included), and visit Jiaxiu Tower, a landmark of Guiyang’s cultural heritage.
In the afternoon, transfer to the station for the high-speed train (second class) to Chongqing.
After breakfast, visit Ciqikou Ancient Town, a warren of old lanes full of local snacks and traditional handicrafts. Then go to Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street, Chongqing’s commercial heart of high-rises, malls and long-established brands.
Later you see Hongyadong, a complex of stilt houses stacked against the cliff that lights up brilliantly after dark.
After breakfast, ride the Liziba light rail for two stops to experience the train that runs straight through a residential building. Then visit Chongqing Zoo to see giant pandas and other rare animals.
Stroll tree-shaded Zhongshan 4th Road with its historic buildings, and walk Shancheng Lane, an old hillside footpath with views over the city. Dinner is at Pipa Garden Hotpot, a vast terraced hillside hotpot restaurant listed by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest, with night views over Chongqing.
After breakfast, transfer to the airport at the scheduled time for your flight.
5 hand-picked hotels over 10 nights of this itinerary. Open any property for photos, video, a full introduction and what's on site.
A 26-floor Wyndham Garden opened in 2025 on Beijing Road, Kunming's main north–south avenue, an 8-minute walk from Linyuqiao metro station.
See the hotel › 9 photos
A lakeside resort on the shore of Erhai Lake, opened in 2020, with lake-view rooms, a spa and three restaurants. It sits outside the old town, about 11 km from Dali Airport.
See the hotel › 9 photos
A 241-room Wyndham opened in 2022 next to Lijiang Railway Station, with views toward Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The Old Town is about 7 km away, roughly 15 minutes by car.
See the hotel › 9 photos
Four Points by Sheraton opened in 2020 in Guiyang's southern Huaxi District, a 4-minute walk from Xiaohe metro station, with a Chinese restaurant, lobby bar and gym; the old city centre is a short metro or taxi ride away.
See the hotel › 9 photos
A brand-new Four Points by Sheraton on Zhongshan 3rd Road in Yuzhong District, central Chongqing, about 830 m from the Three Gorges Museum.
See the hotel › 9 photosWhere a day says “or similar”, a comparable property of the same standard may be used on some departures. Room photos are representative; the room category is set by your booked package.
Your tour price covers:
The following are not covered by the tour price:
Practical guidance to help you prepare for and get the most out of this trip.
How the price is built. Per person in Canadian dollars, two travellers sharing a twin or double room. Children pay the adult price and have their own bed. Gratuities of CAD $220 per person are added at checkout. The single supplement is CAD $663–863 by season; a room cannot be shared with a stranger, so a solo traveller pays it.
Group tour. Departs every Sunday. You join other travellers; group size varies with the date. Group departures are not guaranteed with two travellers: a date runs once enough travellers have booked it. If your date does not run, we tell you in advance and you choose another date or get a full refund.
Open-jaw trip. The tour starts in Kunming and ends in Chongqing, so book your flights into Kunming and out of Chongqing.
Altitude. Lijiang sits at about 2,400 m, and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain cable car climbs to roughly 4,500 m. Walk slowly at the top, drink water and talk to your doctor before travelling if you have heart or breathing conditions.
Trains. Four legs are by high-speed train in second class; pack light, as you handle your own luggage at the stations. Day 7 to Huangguoshu is a long road day from Guiyang.
Shopping streets. Foreigners’ Street, Sifang Street, Nanping Pedestrian Street and Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street are shopping streets; there is no obligation to buy.
Dates and validity. Prices apply to departures in 2027. Dates over China’s public holidays (Spring Festival, May Day and National Day week) and major conferences are not sold at these prices — ask us for a quote. The hotels named are the usual ones; another hotel of the same standard may be used, and the order of visits can change for weather, train times or local conditions.
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Reserve online and pay the CAD $300 per-person deposit right away (unless a different amount is stated for this tour) — that secures your booking. We then confirm availability, usually within 24 hours, and update your booking status — if we cannot confirm your reservation, your deposit is refunded in full. The balance is due 30 days before departure. The deposit option applies to bookings made more than 60 days before departure — within 60 days of departure, full payment is required at booking.
Price adjustments (Travel Industry Act, 2002 — O. Reg. 26/05): increases resulting from retail sales or federal tax changes excepted, if the total price rises by more than 7% you may cancel for a full refund — and no price increase is permitted after you have paid in full.
Card details are entered directly into Moneris, Canada’s largest payment processor — your card number never reaches our servers.
Cancellation charges, from the date we receive written notice:
Once airline tickets have been issued, the air portion is non-refundable regardless of the schedule above.
Ali Travel Inc. is registered with the Travel Industry Council of Ontario as a travel retailer (#50025124) and wholesaler (#50026847) — both checkable on TICO’s public register. Ontario’s Travel Industry Compensation Fund may reimburse you if we, or an end supplier such as an airline, become insolvent and the travel is not provided.
The Fund has a per-person limit, exclusions and a claim deadline — TICO’s page sets out what it covers.
One named consultant stays with your booking from confirmation to your return — the same person for documents, seat and room requests, changes, and anything that comes up while you are away. Call (416) 560-5888 or visit any of our five stores across the Greater Toronto Area.
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Land package · plus Gratuities $220 (mandatory, per person)
CAD $2,288–$2,500 per person · double occupancy · departures 3 Jan–26 Dec 2027
Price notes
Prices shown are the land package. Gratuities $220 per person is mandatory and is added at checkout.
International flights not included — quoted from your city.
Peak dates (public holidays, summer): est. +CAD $663 per person, confirmed before you pay.
Maplelux Holidays serves travel agencies. Choose how you would like to continue.
Wyndham Garden Kunming Panlong opened in 2025 in the Yonghe Fu commercial centre on Beijing Road, at the corner of Linyu Road. The 26-floor building has 132 rooms and is rated 5 diamonds on Trip.com. It is a city hotel aimed at business and leisure travellers.
Rooms include city-view queen and twin rooms, triples, executive rooms with large panoramic windows, family rooms and suites. Accessible rooms are available.
The restaurant offers both buffet and à la carte service. There is also a café, a lobby bar and 24-hour room service, and halal meals can be provided.
Linyuqiao station on metro Line 1 is about 550 m, roughly 8 minutes on foot. Kunming Square is 1.7 km away and the Harmony shopping centre 1.4 km.
There is a free gym, a tea room, a garden and a children's playground. The hotel lists only Mandarin as a spoken language, so your guide is the best help with requests.
Argyle Resort Dali Yueyun opened in 2020 on Jichang Road by Erhai Lake, the large lake beside Dali. It is rated 5 diamonds on Trip.com. This is a resort stay by the water rather than an old-town hotel.
Most room types face the lake (named "sea-view" locally, as Erhai is often called a sea), including rooms with 180° and 270° views, lake-view suites and family suites. Some rooms allow smoking, so ask for non-smoking if it matters to you.
There are three restaurants: a Chinese restaurant for lunch and dinner, a lake-view restaurant serving all day from 07:00 to 21:00 with outdoor tables, and a bar for afternoon tea. Room service runs 24 hours.
The resort has a spa and massage room, a free gym, a tea room, a garden and a children's playground.
Erhai Jade Cabbage Wetland Park is 1.2 km away, Dali Passenger Transport Terminal about 5.5 km and Dali Airport 11.4 km. You will need transport to reach Dali Old Town.
Wyndham Lijiang Yulong Hotel opened in 2022 beside Lijiang high-speed railway station, facing Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. It has 241 rooms and is rated 5 diamonds on Trip.com. It is a quiet, modern base rather than an old-town inn.
Many rooms look toward Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, including king and twin rooms, 180° panoramic rooms, triples, family rooms and two-bedroom suites.
The all-day restaurant serves breakfast from 06:30 to 10:00. There is also a café, a bar and a lobby bar.
The hotel has a gym (10:00–20:00), a spa (extra charge), a sky garden, a tea room and a sunbathing area. The outdoor pool is seasonal and is listed as closed until 31 December 2026.
Lijiang Railway Station is 330 m away, about 5 minutes on foot. Lijiang Old Town is 7.4 km, roughly 15 minutes by car, and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain about 45 minutes by car.
Four Points by Sheraton Guiyang, Huaxi opened in 2020 in the Xiaohe area of Huaxi District, south of central Guiyang. It is rated 5 diamonds on Trip.com and is a straightforward, well-kept city hotel that is popular with families.
There is a Chinese restaurant, a café, a lobby bar and a snack bar, plus room service and a small convenience shop.
The hotel has a gym. A shopping mall is attached for an easy evening walk.
Xiaohe metro station is 250 m away, about 4 minutes on foot. Guiyang Railway Station is about 5 km away and Longdongbao Airport about 14 km. The Qingyun Market food street is 5.8 km away and Jiaxiu Pavilion in the old centre about 7.2 km.
Free Wi-Fi in public areas, lifts, free parking and free luggage storage.
Four Points by Sheraton Chongqing Yuzhong Peninsula opened in 2026 on Zhongshan 3rd Road in Yuzhong District, the old centre of Chongqing. It is rated 5 diamonds on Trip.com. The hotel is very new, so details are still limited.
Room types include queen and twin rooms, city-view rooms, family rooms and suites.
The Three Gorges Museum is about 830 m away. Lianglukou metro station is 680 m and Niujiaotuo station about 13 minutes on foot. Guanyinqiao Pedestrian Street is 2.5 km.
The hotel has a restaurant, a café, a lobby bar and a gym. Wi-Fi in public areas and the guest laundry room are free, and there are lifts throughout.